Ladder



km. 23, 1945. d. F. ARTHUR Q 2,367,917

LADDER I Filed Sept. 28, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR- Jan. 23, 1945. o. F. ARTHUR 2,367,917

LADDER Filed Sept. 28,. 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 23, 1945. o. F. ARTHUR LADDER Filed Sept. 28, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Jan. 23, 1945. Q E ARTHUR 2,367,917

LADDER Filed Sept. 28, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 65 l fi INVENTOR Patented Jan. 23, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LADDER Oscar Arthur, Belle Vernon, Pa.

Application September 28, 1943, Serial No. 504,117

6 Claims.

My invention relates more particularly to ladders of the type which may be hung over a ships side or from a wall, the structure being also susceptible of other uses, including suspension bridges or foot-walks.

One object of my invention is to provide a ladder of the character referred to, which has greater stability than the rope ladders commonly employed for boarding and leaving vessels, and which nevertheless can conveniently be handled and stored.

Another object of my invention is to provide a type of ladder referred to which is formed of units or panels that can readily be connected and disconnected to form ladders of various lengths and widths.

Some of the forms which my invention may take are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a face view of a ladder; Fig. 2 is a view showing one of the metal grids that form the skeleton or internal framework of the panels; Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, showing various parts of one of the ladder panels, in partly assembled relation; Fig.

4 is a view showing one of the blanks employed .in forming certain of the connecting clips used at the edges of the panels; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing one of the clips in place for connecting crossed members of the ladder; Fig 6 is a perspective view showing details of the clip elements of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a view showing one of the blanks employed in making a corner clip for a panel; Fig. 8 shows an outer side View of the corner clip completed and in place on a panel corner; Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged plan and end views, respectively, showing one of the split links for detachably connecting the panels together; Fig. 11 is an edge view of a ladder mounted in vertical position; Fig. 12 shows the ladder of Fig. 11 in folded condition; Fig. 1 3 shows a modification of the ladder structure of Fig. 1; Fig. 14 shows another modification, and Fig. 15 indicates how the ladder of Fig. 14 may be folded.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 12, the ladder comprises a plurality of panelsl5 that are cletachably connected by split links l6 of well known form, or in any other suitable manner. It will be seen that the panels are arranged in vertical rows. Each row can be used singly or, where a greater width of ladder is desired, the vertical edges of each connected row of panels will be detachably joined to another vertical row by the split links l6 shown in Figs. 9 and 10, wherein the link sections are pivotally connected by a rivet H. The panels may each suitably be three or four feet in width and length.

Each panel has a skeleton or base that is composed ofmetal rods or Wires welded together. These rods may suitably be one-quarter inch in diameter or No. 1 or 2 gage. The vertical or longitudinal rods t9 are bent at their ends to form eyes 20,- while the transverse rods 2| are bent at their ends to form eyes 22. The rods I 9 and 2| may suitably beencased in fiber wrappings, rubber or wood, but are here shown as covered with wood strips which are suitably clamped together, around the rods, to brace and stifien the rods and to facilitate grasping the ladder rungs. Where covering material other than wood is employed, the rods-will preferably be somewhat'thicker.

The longitudinal or vertical rods [9 serve as side bars for the ladder while the cross rods 2| serve as rungs. The bars l9 are covered by wood strips 23 and 24, these wood strips being grooved to closely embrace the rods. The strips 23 extend nearly the full vertical length of the panel while the strips 24 are: of short length and have their ends abutting the edges of wood strips 25 that extend approximately the full width of the panel. Transverse strips 26 that cooperate with the strips 25 to enclose the rods 2| are of short length, with their ends abutting the edges of the longitudinal strips 23. The strips 25 and 23 are bound together by metal bands 21, at points between thev clips, that are hereinafter described. While the strips 25 and 26 are: held tightly together by metal bands 28.

Metal clips 30, formed as shown in Figs. 1

. and 4 are provided for securing the transverse rung members 25--26 to the longitudinal side bar members 23- -24, where these pairs of bars intersect at the edges of the ladder. These clips can be formed of metal blanks substantially as shown in Fig. 4, the blanks being bent to partially embrace the side bar members 23-24 (or the rung members 25*26). The extremities 3| of the clips then overliethe rungs 25- 26, and are further bent to embrace said rungs and to permit the tongues 32 and 33 to be inserted through slots 34 and 35 respectively, the tongues being then bent backwardly'. The rungs and side bars are therefore held in connected relation and firmly braced.

Where the side bars and the rungs cross one another clips 36 are provided (Figs. 5 and 6). The clips 36 are of duplicate halves, each provided with a pair of tongues 31 and slotsx38; The tongue 31 are formed on laterally-bent por tions that have bracing flanges 40 formed thereon to snugly engage in the angles formed by the wood strips 23-24 and the strips 25-26. When one'of the clips 36 is positioned as shown in Fig. 5, another clip is placed in assembled relation therewith, by inserting its tongues 31 through the slots 38 of the first-named clip element, thebracing them. The edges 44 of the blank are further bent around beneath the cross-bar 25-26 until the tongue 45 can be inserted through a 'slot 46 and bent back on itself to lock these edges together. Thereupon, wing portions 41 of the blank are bent along the dotted line 48" close against the outer sidesof 23-24 and to permit welding of these edges together at 49, as shown in Fig. 8. The uppermost edges of these wing portions are welded to the body portion of the clip, at 50.

If a ladder of only single panel width is required, a series of panels l5 will be connected to- 'gether in vertically arranged sequence, by the split links l6 and the eyes 20, to a desired length, the upper end of the ladder being suitably anchored through the uppermost eyes 20 to a deck or other suitable support. shown as hung against the rear side of the ladder, by the use of hooks 53, whereby they can readily be applied and removed. These bars 52 serve to hold the ladder rungs somewhat outwardly from the side of the ship as to give greater clearance for use of hands and feet of ladder users.

The ladders can be built up to any desired width, by detachably connecting their vertical edges together as shown in Fig. 1. It will be obvious that the ladders when so connected will be of greater stability and more convenient for use than if they were simply hung in disconnected relation.

For convenience of lifting and stowing the ladder, ropes 55 are connected to eyes 22 near the lower end of the ladder and passed through eyes 22 at the remote edges of the next succeeding panel, and so on, with the intermediate link joints at 56 being free to flex or fold, so that upon upward pull of the rope the lowermost panel will be folded against the next succeeding panel, and the succeeding panels folded upon one another to produce the folded arrangement shown in Fig. 12.

In Fig. 13 I show a simple ladder arrangement for use by a single person or persons in single file, th showing being on a larger scale than that of Fig. 1. In this arrangement a steel skeleton with wood covering is employed as in the other figures, but there are only two side bars employed, and one row of rungs. The side bar sections at the rear of the ladder, corresponding to the bar members 23 of Fig. 3, extend the full length of each panel, and the rung bars 51, that correspond to the rung bars 25, extend ntirely across the panel. The outer short vertical wood bars 58 overlying the rear vertical bar and the encased metal rod correspond to the bar members 24 and abut at their ends against the rung members 51. Shorter rear bar members corresponding to bars 26 are Spacer bars 52 are provided at the rear of the rung members 51. Below the topmost panel of the figure, each succeeding panel has side bar portions 59 and encased rods that are shorter than the side bar portions 58, so that-the spacing between the lowermost rung 51 of each panel and the uppermost rung of the next lower panel will be uniform with the spacing of the other rungs. Clips 21, 28, 30 and 42 a in the other figures are provided for holding the parts in firmly assembled relation. Referring now to Figs. 14 and 15, I show another arrangement wherein the panels are formed of a metallic skeleton overlaid with .wood strips or other non-metallic material, as

' spaced throughout the length of the panels, this being rendered possible by having the upper side bar portions 62 of each lower panel somewhat shorter than the side bar portions 6!, and not connected by rungs as in Fig. 1, so that all of the rungs 60 will have uniform spacing.

The internal skeleton has eyes 63 formed thereon for connection to adjacent ladder sections or for purposes of folding, as in the case of the eyes 22 of Figs. 1 to 13. For convenience of folding, ropes 64 are tied to the lowermost eyes and threaded through the upper eyes, the eyes all being intermediate the upper and lower edges of the panels. Upon upward pull on the ropes the panels will automatically fold upon one another as shown in Fig. 15. An anchoring or suspending bar 55 is connected to the upper end of the ladder, and will be connected to a ship deck or other support, by hooks or other suitable means.

While the structure is herein described and claimed as primarily a ladder, the panels when connected in unitary relation stretched between two points of anchorage, can serve as a suspension bridge, that will be of greater stability than bridges of the rope or cable type.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ladder comprising a series of panels each having a skeleton of rigidly-connected longitudinal and transverse metal rods that serve as side bars and rungs, respectively, eyes formed on the ends of certain of said rods, stiffening members overlying said rods, in crossed relation to one another at points where the rods intersect one another, clamping devices securing the said members together and to the rods, at said points. and means for pivotally connecting the eyes of each panel to the eyes of an adjacent panel.

2. A panel for use in forming a ladder, comprising a skeleton having integrally formed side bar and rung elements that intersect one another at various points throughout the panel, bars overlying the said elements and intersecting one another at said points, and clamping devices embracing the bars and said elements, at the points of intersection.

3. A panel for use in forming a ladder, comprising a skeleton having integrally formed side bar and rung elements that intersect one another at various points throughout the panel, bars overlying the said elements and intersecting one another at said points, and clamping devices embracing the bars and said elements, and snu ly fitting in the angles formed at said points of in? tersection.

'4. A panel for use in forming a ladder, comprising a skeleton having integrally formed side bar and rung elements that intersect one another at various points throughout the panel, bars overlying the said elements and intersecting one another at said points, and clamping devices embracing the bars and said elements, at the points of intersection, the skeleton being of metal and the bars being of Wood that is grooved to receive the said elements.

5. A panel for use in forming a ladder, comprising a skeleton having integrally formed side bar and rung elements that intersect one another at various points throughout the panel, bars overlying the said elements and intersecting one another at said points, and clamping devices embracing the bars and said elements, at the points of intersection, certain of said elements in each panel having loops formed on their extremities, for connection to loops of adjacent panels.

OSCAR F. ARTHUR. 

